Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelli Ward recently blasted GOP primary rival Martha McSally for seemingly over-emphasizing her military career as a pilot and in doing so took another shot at her 2016 opponent, the now-ailing Sen. John McCain.

Ward, a former state senator from Lake Havasu City, told supporters in Prescott they can't be bamboozled by campaign ads that invoke military records.

"We can't be fooled by those fluff ads that come in your mailbox, and the 30 seconds you see, because someone's a pilot, they'd make a good senator," Ward told the crowd a campaign event featuring former Trump administration strategist Sebastian Gorka.

Some in the crowd roared in laughter and Ward shrugs, saying, "I don't know, I don't know.

"We've seen that, we've seen that ad before. The last guy that was a pilot and became a senator in Arizona ..."

Some in the crowd booed. She then uses her body language to reinforce her words, making a face and opening her eyes wide while jutting out her chin. More boos can be heard.

She shrugs and holds both palms up up to the crowd, saying, "I don't know, I don't know. You guys make your own decisions. You guys make your own decisions, but we can't be fooled by that."

Multiple remarks against McCain

McCain easily survived a 2016 Ward primary challenge on his way to winning a sixth Senate term, but Ward has continued to use him as a foil during her current bid for the Senate seat being vacated by Arizona's other Republican senator, Jeff Flake.

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Kelli Ward holds the door as Sen. Rand Paul heads to speak to the press before a campaign rally for Kelli Ward at the Embassy Suites on February 16, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Patrick Breen/The Republic

Kelli Ward holds the door as Sen. Rand Paul heads to speak to the press before a campaign rally for Kelli Ward at the Embassy Suites on February 16, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Patrick Breen/The Republic

Her remarks, which came during her "Prescott Making America Safe Again" event on March 30, were captured on video. A snippet was posted on YouTube.

Ward, McSally and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio are among the field of Republicans vying to replace Flake, who announced on Oct. 24 he would retire instead of face re-election in an Trump era.

A Trump-style candidate

Ward has cast herself as an anti-establishment Republican and a Trump-style candidate. Her biting remarks about her rivals have drawn as much, if not more, attention than her policy positions.

Steve Bannon and Kelli Ward, at her campaign kickoff in October.(Photo: file)

Her remarks came following comments about people who campaign conservatively then go to Washington, D.C. and vote more moderately.

A spokeswoman for McSally did not respond for a request for comment.

Richard Hererra, associate professor of political science at Arizona State University, said Ward is clearly attempting to undercut McSally's service to country while trying to plant a seed she is not a quality candidate, an approach that worked for Trump.

"Whatever characteristic her opponent seems to emphasize or hang their hat on is one you attack," he said. "For the Senate race, in the primary, certainly a military service is something that McSally has used as a means of showing and demonstrating to potential voters that she has certainly served her country and she has leadership skills."

Those are two traits voters tend to look for when assessing the quality of a candidate.

For her part, Ward often talks up the military service of her husband, Michael Ward.

Ward's remarks in Prescott may endear her to voters who already are somewhat disenchanted with McCain and are Trump supporters, Herrera said. But it may not grow her base of voters, which she would need to advance through the November general election.

Asked about the comments, Ward's spokesman Zachery Henry said McSally would rather talk about her military service than her "liberal voting record" while in Congress, "which is why she is refusing to debate" Ward.